Vancouver, B.C. (March 20, 2026) – Today, Creative BC announced 23 grants through its Music Industry Initiatives program (the Program), totaling $475,000 awarded to recipients across Canada.
The Program strengthens British Columbia’s music ecosystem by supporting projects that build industry capacity, foster training, collaboration, innovation, and generate new business opportunities. Open to applicants nationwide, the program invests in Canadian companies, not‑for‑profit organizations, individuals, and collectives active in B.C.’s music industry who have an idea for an industry development project.
Part of the Province of British Columbia’s Amplify BC Fund, Music Industry Initiatives supports a wide range of eligible activities. These include: industry events, training and mentorship opportunities, professional development, community infrastructure or digital platforms that offer long‑term value to the industry, as well as collaborative showcases and research that strengthens industry knowledge. The program also supports initiatives that increase capacity for systemically excluded groups, as well as projects focused on best practices in business, sustainability, equity, and harm reduction. Grant amounts range from $2,000 to $60,000, covering up to 75% of eligible project expenses.
Applications were scored according to the priorities of the program, including industry development, investment in B.C. talent, economic impact, innovation, demonstrated capacity, and support for equity-deserving groups who experience systemic barriers to industry participation.
The following recipients will receive grants of up to $50,000:
- Recipient: 100 Collective
Project Title: Do It For the Culture Conference and Festival
Amount: $25,000 - Recipient: ADVANCE, Canada’s Black Music Business Collective
Project Title: Building Capacity and Empowering Black Professionals in the B.C. Music Industry
Amount: $24,675 - Recipient: BC Live Performance Network
Project Title: Pacific Contact 2025
Amount: $30,000 - Recipient: BCMFC Festival Society
Project Title: Strengthening BC’s Music Festival Sector: Tools, Training, and In-Person Engagement
Amount: $20,000 - Recipient: Canadian Live Music Association
Project Title: Climate Contingency Roadmap for Concerts: Assessing and Responding to the Impacts of Extreme Weather on Live Music Events in Canada
Amount: $20,000 - Recipient: Community Arts Council of Vancouver
Project Title: Future Sounds 2026
Amount: $12,450 - Recipient: Creative Okanagan Artist and Event Development Society
Project Title: Creative Okanagan x CCMA Mentorship Program and Showcase
Amount: $10,725 - Recipient: Dylan Willows Foundation for Music
Project Title: The Music Lab
Amount: $20,000 - Recipient: Gigpit Events Inc.
Project Title: Gigpit
Amount: $10,000 - Recipient: Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society
Project Title: VIFF Amp
Amount: $50,000 - Recipient: Indigenous Music Alliance
Project Title: International Indigenous Music Summit 2025
Amount: $25,000 - Recipient: Kirk McNally
Project Title: Take Two: Expanding the Field of Music Production Research
Amount: $8,606 - Recipient: Latincouver Cultural and Business Society
Project Title: The Music Hack: Empowering Emerging Talents program (MEET)
Amount: $20,000 - Recipient: Renascence Arts and Sustainability Society (DBA Tiny Lights Festival)
Project Title: Tiny Lights Teaches – Live Music Event Documentation Mentorship Program
Amount: $16,470 - Recipient: SHE-Q Audio
Project Title: SHE-Q Audio x Yamaha Music Canada BC Songwriters Camp and Showcase
Amount: $15,000 - Recipient: ShowHub Promotions Inc.
Project Title: ShowHub: Reconnecting B.C. Audiences to Artists and Venues Through Inclusive Digital Infrastructure
Amount: $20,000 - Recipient: Stephanie Ko (on behalf of Opera Mariposa and the Immuno‑inclusivity in Opera collective)
Project Title: Immuno‑inclusivity in Opera
Amount: $13,238 - Recipient: Sync Or Swim Music
Project Title: The Sync or Swim Music Conference
Amount: $15,000 - Recipient: The Society of We Are Canadians Too
Project Title: 2025 Jade Music Fest in Asia
Amount: $25,000 - Recipient: The Society of We Are Canadians Too
Project Title: 2025 Jade Music Fest
Amount: $25,000 - Recipient: Vancouver Asian Film Festival
Project Title: AIM3 Sync Summit 2025
Amount: $18,833 - Recipient: Vancouver Musicians Association
Project Title: Website, Member and Contract Database
Amount: $20,000 - Recipient: Women in Music Canada
Project Title: Women in Music Canada and BC Regional Chapter Programming Support
Amount: $30,000
See the full list of recipients on the Knowledge Hub.
To learn more about the Music Industry Initiatives program, visit Creative BC’s website: www.creativebc.com/music-industry-initiatives
Quotes:
Honourable Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport
“B.C.’s music industry is powered by incredible talent, creativity, and collaboration. These grants will help artists, organizations, and industry leaders develop new skills, build connections, and create more opportunities. By supporting projects that strengthen inclusion, innovation, and long-term growth, we’re helping B.C.’s music sector thrive, creating good jobs, and building stronger communities for all British Columbians.”
Lindsay MacPherson, Executive Director, Music BC
“Music BC is proud to see continued investment in the programs and people that power B.C.’s music industry. These flagship and special initiatives reflect a deep understanding of what our industry truly needs: opportunity, training, tools, and the infrastructure to grow and thrive. This kind of sustained commitment makes a real difference for artists, professionals, and organizations building something meaningful across this province. We’re grateful to Creative BC and the Province of BC for their ongoing commitment to a strong and connected music industry.”
Prem Gill, CEO, Creative BC
“We’re proud to invest in projects that strengthen the systems, skills, and connections behind B.C.’s music industry. This core program works to support the people and organizers working to expand the industry as a whole through events, research, training, and more to help make B.C. a community-driven hub to create in.”
Jen Gfeller, Co-Founder and Developer, ShowHub, Program Recipient
“With the support of Creative BC’s Music Industry Initiatives program, ShowHub was able to advance key areas of platform development, promotion, and outreach that would not otherwise have been possible. This work—most notably the supported promotional campaigns—marked a clear turning point in platform usage, with traffic increasing by approximately 130 percent and remaining strong well beyond the funded period. As a result, ShowHub meaningfully amplified awareness of thousands of live music performances, hundreds of local artists, and dozens of small- and mid-size venues.”
Media Contact:
Creative BC
Lisa Escudero
media@creativebc.com
+1 604-730-2235
-30-
About Creative BC
Creative BC is an independent society created and supported by the Province to sustain and help grow British Columbia’s creative industries: motion picture, interactive and digital media, music and sound recording, and magazine and book publishing. The organization delivers a wide range of programs and services with a mandate to expand B.C.’s creative economy. These activities include: administration of the provincial government’s motion picture tax credit programs; delivery of program funding and export marketing support for the sector; and provincial film commission services. Combined, these activities serve to attract inward investment and market B.C. as a partner and destination of choice for domestic and international content creation. The agency acts as an industry catalyst and ambassador to help B.C.’s creative sector reach its economic, social, environmental, and creative potential both at home and globally. Website: www.creativebc.com